Thread-controlling mechanism for sewing-machines.



110.786,410. PATENTBD APRA, 1905. H. H. GUMMINGS.

THREAD GONTROLLING MEGH'ANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented April'4, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. CUMMINGS, OF MALDEN,

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY

TO UNION LOCK STITCH COMPANY, OF

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 786,410, dated April 4, 1905.

Application flied september 2i, 1903. serai No. 173,969.

To all wiz/07u t 7uur/y concern:

' lowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation in general to sewing-machines of the class employing in cornbination a hooked needle, a looper to place the thread within the open eye of the said needle, and a so-called thread-finger to engage the thread between the last stitch in the work and the looper and pull out the thread into a bight or loop before the thread is placed Within the eye of the needle by the looper preliminary to the movement of the needle in the formation of the next stitch.

More particularly, the invention relates to the means by which the looper and threadfinger are actuated.

The general aims of the invention are to reduce the number of the working parts which are employed at the outer end of the overhanging arm or gooseneck of a sewing-niachine, to simplify the construction and reduce the cost thereof, and to avoid crowding.

The invention consists in an improved construction and combination of parts for actuatingthe looper and thread-Iinger, which I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 shows in end elevation portion of a sewing-machine having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view of the sanne, mainly in section, in a vertical plane parallel with the axis of the actuating-shaft.

To assist in the presentation of the invention, I have shown in the drawings certain ot' the parts which in a sewing-machine are adjacent the devices in which the invention'resides, and I shall refer briefly thereto in the course ot' the description; but it is to be understood that the said parts form no portion of the invention and are presented merely for convenience and that the invention is not rel stricted to employment in the precise connection which is illustrated.

Having reference to the drawings, at 1 is shown portion of the overhanging arm or gooseneck of a sewing-machine, a portion of the rotating shaft which extends within the said arm or gooseneck being represented at 2 and a bearing for the said shaft'being shown at 3. At 4 is shown the laterally-movable head, which is located at the outer end of the said arm or gooseneck and to which are applied the awl-bar 5, carrying the awl 6, and the presser-bar 7, carrying the presser-foot 8. The awl-bar and presser-bar are mounted, as shown, within guidewayswith which the said head is formed, with capacity to move vertically therein substantially as usual. The actuating connections for the awl bar are shown, they comprising the disk 9, which is mounted upon the outer end of the rotating shaft 2, the crank-pin 10, that is carried by the said disk, and the link 11, connecting the said crank-pin with the awl-bar. A hooked needle is shown at 12. Y The work-support is indicated at 13. In the present instance the needle 12 is arranged to work upward from below through the material which is to be stitched, the awl-bar and awl being arranged at the upper side of the said material.

At 14 14 are thread-guiding sheaves or rolls past which the thread which is fed to the needle is led on its way from the source oi supply to the latter. The said sheaves or rolls are mounted on a small bracket 141, which is connected to the head 4.

15 is a sheave or roll which is adapted to engage with the thread intermediate the rolls 14 14. The sheave or roll 15 is mounted upon the lower end of the take-up arm or lever 151, the latter being attached to a rock-shaft 152, which is journaled in a bearing 1521, with which the outer end of the arm or gooseneck is provided, the said rock-shaft 152 having in connection therewith a second arm 153, which latter is joined, by means of a link 154, to an operating arm or lever 155, the latter being pivoted at 156 within the arm or gooseneck 1 and provided with a roll 157, Fig. 2, which works in a cam-groove that is formed in one side of the disk 7. By means of the camj groove and operating comiections the take-up arm and its sheave or roll are actuated with the required timing.

The 'foregoing devices form no part of the present invention and may be varied or replaced as found desirable in practice.

The looper is shown at 16 and the threadlinger at 17. l will now describe the improved combination and arrangement of parts by means of which the looper and thread-linger are actuated. The looper 16 is carried by one arm of a lever 161, which latter is mounted upon a pivotal stud '162 with capacity to swing, so as to carry the delivery end of the looper transversely with relation tothe needle 12. The said pivotal stud 162 projects horizontally from the collar 163, which is sleeved upon the projecting end of a short rock-shaft 172, the latter being litted to a bearing' at 173, which is provided therefor in the arm or gooscneck 1. The collar 16?, with its stud 162, turns around the said rock-shaft in order to permit the movementl ol lever 161, which carries the delivery end of the looper back and forth in the direction of the line of feed. The level' 161 is actuated by means of a cam portion with which the disk 9 is provided. Thus upon the upper arm of the said lever is mounted a roll 16a, working in a camgroove 165, which is formed in the periphery of the disk 9. The cam-groove 165 is varied. in its direction both radially with relation to the aXis of the shaft 2 and transversely or parallel with the said axis in order to occasion the compound movement of the lever 161 and looper 16, by which the delivery end of the looper is caused to travel in the required path relative to the hooked end of the needle. ln order to compensate for such wear as may occur, the sides of the groove 165 are made inclined toward each other, as shown, so that the groove is essentially V-shaped, and the roll 166 is correspondingly tapered toward its periphery to lit the g'roove. vln practice the roll is held pressed into the groove through the aid of a spring' acting in connection with lever 161 in opposition to the outward radial throw of the cam-groove. This spring' has been omitted from the drawings in order to render the latter simpler andclearer. The thread-linger 17 is carried by the lower end of an arm 171, the said arm being fast upon the rock-shaft 172, which is 'joui'naled, as aforesaid, in the bearing that is provided at 178 within the arm or gooseneck 1. The rockshaft 172 is provided with an arm 174, the said arm carrying a roll at 17 5, engaging' with the periphery of a cam 176, which is fastupon the shaft 2. ,In practice aspring is employed in connection with the arm 174c to aid in holding the roll 175 in contact with the cam 176; but the said spring has been omitted from the drawings in order to sin'iplify the latter.

The rock-shaft 172, as will be seen, in addition to supporting and operating-the threadlinger 17 serves to su pport the swinging mount or carrier 163 162 for the lever 161 of the looper, thereby dispensing' with a separate support for said mount or carrier. This, as will be perceived from inspection of the drawings, is an imj'iortant mattei', owingl to the crowded condition of the parts within the outer end of the arm or gooseneck and to the compact relations in which such parts are required to be assembled.

The described devices for actuating the looper and thread-linger are simple and comprise but a small number of working parts reliable in their action, not liable to get out of order, and easy to adjust and repair.

l have shown in the drawings a yieldingconstruction of thread-linger by which the thresul-linger is permitted to yield, so as to compensate for any lack of correspondence in the relative timing between the same andthe other parts which are concerned in the process of making stitches in the machine to which the invention is applied, thereby in case, for instance, in a machine in which lock-stitches are produced through the employment of a shuttle the shuttle should take up the loop of nemlle-thread in expanding the same as it passes therethrough faster than the thread is given up or surrendered by the return movement of the thread-linger after the latter has extended the bight or loop of said thread, the threzul-linger is enabled to yield, so as to relieve the strain, and thus obviate injury to the thread. ln the drawings the thread-linger 17 is shown provided with a pivot or journal 18, which is litted to a bearing at 181, with which the arm 171 is provided, and in connection with the thread-linger a spring, as 182, is provided, the said spring' in the present instance having' one end thereof passed tln'ough a diametrical hole in the pivot or journal 18 and the other end thereof engaged with the arm 171. Then the strain becomes suliiciently great, the spring 162 will give or yield, so as to permit the thread-linger to turn upon its pivot or journal.

l claim as my invention- 1. 1n a sewing-machine, in combination, a hooked needle, a thread-linger, a rock-shaft with which the said thread-linger is connected, means to actu ate the said rock-shaft and threadlinger, a looper,a support for said looper which is swiveled on said rock-shaft to turn around the same and on which support the looper is pivoted to swing transversely, and means engaging with said looper to cause it to describe the required path relative to the hooked needle.

2. ln a sewing-machine, in combination, a hooked needle, a thread-linger, a rock-shaft with which the said th read-li nger is connected, meansto actuate the said rock-shaft and threadlingcr,a looper, a support for said looper which is swiveled on said rock-shaft to turn around IOO IIO

the same and on which support the looper is pivoted to move transversely, and a cam engaging With said looper and acting to impart thereto movement of which the components are in directions at right angles to each other.

8. In a Sewing-machine, in combination, the thread-finger, a rock-shaft with which the said thread-finger is Connected, and means for operating the said rock-shaft to move the threadlinger, oi' the looper, the lever by which the same is carried provided with aV-shaped roll or stud, a rotating cam having a V-shaped groove With lateral and radial throws to pro- HENRY H. CUMh/IINGS.

lVitnesses:

CHAs. F. RANDALL, VILLIAM A. COPELAND. 

